What do you get when you combine New York’s most exciting workout with The Hunger Games and an epic Super Soaker battle? We’re calling it Wet Hot American Throwdown and had our first of what we hope will be many this past Saturday. We stormed Pier 46 on the Hudson like the troops at Normandy to infuse a bit of hot weather fun into our class.

The first part of class consisted of a typical Phys Ed workout you'd find in our studio, but we substituted running for rowing and even had partners complete 40yd buddy carries as part of the circuit. The winning team was able to complete over 8 rounds during the 16-minute Phys Ed segment.

Now the fun part which we’re calling TBF Soaker. We opened up the armory and cooked up a Recess workout that combined bodyweight exercises with our favorite summer childhood activity – soaking friends with water guns! Here’s how it worked…

We split the class into two teams (red sweatbands vs. blue sweatbands), and put them on opposite ends of the field. A cache of about 30 water guns lied in the middle of the two teams. On 3, 2, 1 go it was a race to grab a gun from the pile. Sounds like The Hunger Games, eh? But there was a catch…

In order to earn the right to pick up a gun, you had to complete two rounds of the following circuit: 5 burpees, 10 mountain climbers, 20 lunges. Once completed, you could grab a gun and soak as many members of the other team as possible. If you were hit by an opposing team member, you had to drop your weapon and complete the circuit once to get back in the game. With the exception of a few traitors who turned on their team, and one megalomaniac who wanted to eliminate everyone in sight (Alex), teammates worked together to earn as many chances with the water guns as possible. TBF Soaker ended up being a free for all with no clear winner but maybe our most fun workout to date.

A big thanks to the few people who adhered to the recommended dress code (tank tops and American Flag gear) and a special shout out to Garrett who took it a step further with jean shorts! How American.

Summer has just started so don’t fret if you missed out on this one. We’ve got you covered with more wild ideas for outdoor Throwdowns over the next few months. We think the people in Thailand have it right (despite their government being on the verge of collapse!)...celebrating New Years with endless water gun fights in the street. We may try to incorporate water balloons for the next one. Stay tuned and be on the lookout for the Wet Hot American Throwdown sign.

Throwback

Throwback is gamifying fitness by harnessing the feelings of accomplishment, confidence, and camaraderie that come from being part of a team, and the excitement felt when working together to achieve a common goal.

Our workouts channel the nostalgia of adolescence by modeling our unique, competitive, partner- and team-based workouts after such childhood favorites as Tag and Capture the Flag, or even dorm room-inspired games like Flip Cup.